Rotary engine



(No Model.)

W. J. KENDIG.

ROTARY ENGINE.

NITED STATES PATENT rrrcn.

\VITMER J. KENDIG, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

R O T A R Y SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Application filed April '7, 1890- To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, \VITMER J KENDIG, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Lancaster, county of Lancaster, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to rotary engines; and it consists in the construction and combination of the various parts, as hereinafter described, and specifically pointed out in the claims, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the engine and supporting-frame, a portion of the case of the chest being cut away. Figs. 2, 3, and 4t are side views of the steam-chest, showing the various positions occupied by the sliding heads during the revolution of the rotary steam-chest and the relative positions of the stationary head. Fig. 5 is an inner face View of the closing-plate; and Fig. 6 is a transverse section of the engine on the line 06 a, Fig. 3, the closing-plate being in place.

Similar letters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referringto the details of the drawings, A indicates a rotary cylindrical steam-chest rigidly secured to the shaft 13, journaled at one end in a box b and having the other passing through a perforation in the center of a closing-plate D, hereinafter described, and a trunnion d, formed on the outer face thereof. The trunnion (Z rests in a box I), and the boxes I) and Z) are supported, respectively, in posts 0' O of the frame 0. The shaft B projects beyond the face of the trunnion d to and through a journal-box Z2 supported by a post 0", that portion which rests in and projects beyond the box 11 being reduced in diameter. The part of the shaft B lying between the trunnion cl and post 0 has a thread cut therein for a short distance from the post O inward. Upon this threaded part is screwed a nut c with a washer e, and about it is coiled a spiral spring E, which bears against the face of the trunnion d and the said washer.

The upper end of the post 0 is bifurcated, as shown in Fig. 1. One of the jaws thereof supports the box I), in which the end of the shaft B is journaled. This end of the shaft extends beyond the box I), and is movable ENGINE.

Patent No. 449,325, dated March 31, 1891.

Serial No. 346,360. (No model.)

longitudinally therein. In the other jaw of screwf, the inner end of which is pointed and bears against the center of the end of the shaft B.

On the inside of the steamchest A there is a smaller cylinder a concentric with the cylindrical part (LOf the steam-chest and of the same depth therewith, which forms a'steampassage a extending entirely around the steamchest between the rib or flange a and the part a of the said chest. On opposite sides of and equidistant from the shaft'B there are parallel slots cut through the entire depth of the cylinder at. In these slots there are sliding heads G G, of a depth equal to the length of the cylindrical steamchest A, and of such length as to reach from the outer face of one side of the cylinder a to and through the opposite side thereof and across the steam-passage a to the wall of said steam-chest. On the inner sides of the sliding heads there are constructed wings g,which extend inward, the wings being located at equal distances from opposite ends of the B. On each of these wings and on a median line between the sliding heads there are formed spindles, which project a short distance above said sliding heads, as and for a purpose to be hereinafter described, and on each of these spindles there are small frictionrollers g'g Within the space formed by the cylinder a and on the outside of each sliding head there is a bearing-block H, having recesses cut in each end adjacent to the said flange, and in each of these recesses there is a packing-block 7!, of anysuitable material, which extends somewhat beyond the face of the bearing-block and rests against the side of the adjacent sliding head. The bearingblocks are pressed toward the sliding heads by coiled springs h, set in the space behind them and bearing against said bearing-blocks and the annular flange a.

D represents aclosing-plate,whieh is an annular disk of like diameter with the steamchest A. It is not secured to the steam-chest in any manner, but isheld in close relation with the face of the open cylindrical portion of said chest by the action of the springE and set-screw f. The center of its inner face has said heads and on opposite sides of the shaft the bifurcated post there is located a set- I an annular recess formed thereimin which is snugly fitted a fillingplate R, the outer face of which is flush with the inner face of the closing-plate. 'lhe filling-plate R is secured in place by screws 9, and a portion of said plate is cut away through its entire depth, thereby, when in place, forming a recess in the face of the closing plate D. This recess, formed by the cut-away portion of the fillingplate, is semicircular in shape around one half of the central opening in the said closing-plate, through which the shaft B passes, and from the opening of the semicircle it extends to the periphery of the filling-plate in the shape of an elongated eccentric, the outer extremity of which cuts the periphery of the filling-plate. In the center of the cut-away portion of the filling-plate there is secured by ascrew r an eccentric plate of the same thickness as the filling-plate R, but of less size than said cut-away portion and of precisely the same shape, thus forming a groove S, semicircular at one end and eccentrically shaped at the other, as shown in Fig. 5. The semicircular end of the plate r is perforated to permit the passage of the shaft B.

To one side of the inner face of the closingplate D there is secured astationary head D, adapted to be received in and entirely close the steam-passage a On each side of the head D there is an orifice, onez' being the admission-port and the other t the escape port, and there is screwed therein, respectively, the steam-pipe V and the escape-pipe V. When the closing-plate D is in place against the end of the steam-chest, the eccentric groove S is engaged by the friction-rollers g 9 Owing to the conton r of the groove S and the relative positions of the frictionrollers g 1 one of said rollers is always in engagement with the semicircular part of the grooves.

The sliding heads being in the position shown in Fig. 2that is, when they both close the steam-passage a on the same side of the chest (t -the roller g is in engagement with the center of the semicircular part of the groove S and the roller g with the apex of the eccentric portion of said groove. As the steam-chest makes a quarter-revolution in the direction of the arrow, the semicircular part of the groove revolves about the roller g until it reaches one extremity of said semicircular part and the sliding head G is unmoved; butthe eccentric portion of the said groove forces the roller g toward the center and to the end of the circular part of the groove opposite that occupied by roller g, the sliding head G being moved thereby across the steam-chest until it closes the side a of the steam-passage opposite its former position, so that the steam-passage is now closed on both sides on lines parallel with each other at the end of said quarter-revolution, as shown in Fig. 3. During the continuation of the movement of the steam-chest until it makes a second quarter-revolution the semicircularpart of the groove S revolves for half its length around'the roller 9 and the sliding head G remains stationary; but by the action of the eccentric portion of the groove the roller g is now moved to the apex of said eccentric portion of the groove and the sliding head G is carried across the steamchest until it also closes the same side a of the steam-passage that: is closed by the sliding head G, as shown in Fig. 4. At the conclusion of the second quarter-revolution the roller g is in the center of the semicircular portion of the groove and the roller g in the apex of the eccentric portion and both sliding heads close the side a of the steam-passage. It will be observed that one or both of the sliding plates G G always close the steamthe steam-passage they are in the same different positions relative to the closing-plate D, and that there is no point in the move ment of the steam-chest in which the force of the steam bears upon a dead-center.

The filling-plate R and the eccentric-plate r are removably seen red to the closing-plate D to allow said filling and eccentric plates to be removed when they become unduly worn by the rollers g 9 As before stated, the closing-plate D and the steam-chest A are held in close relation to each other by the action of the spiral spring E and set-screw This yielding connection serves as a safety-valve under undue pressure of steam, the plate D and the chest A under such undue pressure being forced apart until the surcharge of steam has escaped.

The operation of my rotary engine will be readily understood. mission-port, and by its action on the sliding head G rotates the steam-chest A. When in the course of the movement of said steamchest the sliding head G is moved to close the opposite side a of the steam-passage, the pressure of the steam is received by it, and as the sliding head G is moved to uncover the side a of said steam-passage the steam between the side a thereof and the escapeport t passes out of the steam-chest through the latter. If it is desirable to render the engine reversible, attachments may be made with or between the steam-pipe V and the escape-pipe V, by which the steam may be admitted to the steam-chest A through the pipe V and escape through the pipe V, or vice versa. No mechanism for accomplishing this is shown in the drawings or described in this specification, as it does not effect the new features claimed as my invention.

My rotary engine can be cheaply made and is simple in construction, consistingof but The steam enters the adfour essential parts: the steam-chest A, made in one piece, the closingplatc D, and the two sliding heads G G. It is also so constructed that the parts most liable to wear can be readily removed and replaced.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a cylindrical steam-chest, of a cylinderlocated in the steamchest and forminga steam-passage about the wall of the steam-chest, the said cylinder having two slots cut entirely across the same, a plate located in each of said slots, and mechanism whereby the said plates are moved entirely across said steam chest, toalternately close opposite sides of the steanrpassage, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with a cylindrical steam-chest, of a closing-plate having an eccentrically-shaped groove formed therein, a cylinder located in the steam-chest and formin g a steam-passage about the wall of the steam-chest, the said cylinder having two slots out entirely across the same, a plate operating in each of said slots, and spindles secured to said plates and constructed to engage in the groove in the closing-plate, the movement of the spindles in said groove being adapted to force said plates successively en tirely across said stea1n-chest, to alternately close opposite sides of the steam-passage, sub stantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination, with a cylindrical steanrohest, ot' a closing-plate having an ceccntrically-shaped groove formed therein, a cylinder located in the steam-chest and forming a steam-passage about the wall 0t" r the steam-chest, the said cylinder having two slots .cut entirely across the same on opposite sides of and equidistant from the center, a plate operating in each of said slots, wings formed on the inner sides of the plates, and spindles located on the wings on a median line between the plates and constructed to engage in the groove in the closing-plate, the movement of the spindles in said groove being adapted to force said plates.snccessively entirely across said steam-chest, to alternately close opposite sides of the steam-passage, substantiall y as and for the purpose specified.

4c. The combination, with a sliding plate having spindles formed thereon, of the closing-plate D, having a recess formed therein, a filling-plate R, adapted to fit said recess and having a portion thereof cut away 'to form a recess, and a plate 0'', of less size but of the same shape as the recess in the plate R, fitted into said recess so as to form a groove be tween the sides thereof and the sides of the recess in the plate R, all constructed and operating substantially as and for the purpose specified.

w. J. KENDllG.

Witnesses:

GEO. A. LANE, WM. R. GERHART. 

